India repatriates Uri attack ‘suspects’ to Pakistan

New Delhi/Islamabad, March 10 (IANS) India on Friday repatriated to Pakistan the two teenagers who were suspected of involvement in the terrorist attack on an army camp in Jammu and Kashmir’s Uri.

“Two Pakistani juveniles, Faisal Hussain Awan and Ahsan Khurshid Chaudhry, following the completion of investigation and confirmation of their nationality, were repatriated via Attari-Wagah on March 10,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a release.

Indian border authorities handed over Awan and Chaudhry to the Pakistan Army at the Wagah-Attari border checkpoint.

The two youths, who are said to be Class X students, were arrested in a joint operation by the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Indian Army at Angoor Post in Uri town a few days after the September 18 Uri attack. They were suspected to have acted as “guides” for the terrorists from across the Line of Control.

They were brought to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) headquarters in New Delhi for interrogation.

The NIA last week clarified that the two had run away from home to avoid studies, and filed a closure report in the case. The probe agency on Wednesday handed them over to the Indian Army.

Speaking of India giving highest importance to all humanitarian issues, the Ministry of External Affairs in the release urged the Pakistani side for “early release and repatriation of all eligible Indian prisoners and fishermen”.